Every June, Clintonville exhales perfume. The Columbus Park of Roses — 13 acres inside Whetstone Park — erupts with more than 11,000 rose bushes in 350 varieties, one of the largest municipal rose gardens in America.
Founded in 1952 and lovingly tended with the help of volunteer “Rosarians,” the garden unfolds through formal rose beds, an herb garden, perennial borders and a gazebo that hosts weddings and summer concerts. Peak bloom arrives in June with a second flush in September — and admission is always free.
Locals pair it with Whetstone’s trails, prairie and the Columbus Metropolitan Library branch next door for a perfect slow afternoon.
Columbus calls itself the Arch City, but for a few fragrant weeks each year, it’s the Rose City too.
